The Economic Freedom Fighters leadership, led by party secretary-general Marshall Dlamini, has opened a case of corruption against Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson at the Pretoria Central Police Station today. The EFF is accusing the minister of writing an e-mail to the public works department official ordering her to pay a particular construction company that is allegedly white-owned.

UNACCEPTABLE 

Dlamini said the actions by Macpherson represent gross levels of corruption, using the said email as their "evidence." They accused him of bypassing all relevant stakeholders and sent an email to a junior staff member pushing her to make the payment. In the email, the minister wrote, "You will appreciate that I don't normally get involved in matters like this, but it appears that commitments have not been executed and now I am being dragged into this matter. Can I please receive an urgent report on why IDT has not done this and resolved this matter despite assurances that this would be done?"

Addressing the media outside the police station, Dlamini said Macpherson bypassed the IDT's executive leadership and board, choosing instead to email a junior staff member to demand a report on the payment delays. "This direct intervention blurred the lines of authority and undermined the IDT's established governance structures," he said. Dlamini added that they will also take the matter to the ethics committee in Parliament. "We believe that there is enough evidence to show that his only interest is to say this company is to be paid and even the demand and the staff members when they respond, they say we can't. Remember when there is a tender and a company gets a specific amount, and there is what you call variation, but that variation of an open cheque, there must be a clear authority," he added. 

NOTHING SUSPICIOUS

Responding to the allegations, Macpherson spokesperson James de Villiers said the minister, as the executive authority of the IDT, responded to the thread of emails that he was copied in on 9 December 2024, complaining that he was being dragged into the matter because the IDT did not pay an invoice that is outstanding for 20 months. "The issue of repeated non-payment by the IDT for services rendered by Lonerock Construction was raised to the minister by the head of the project management office, Rudi Dicks, from the presidency in October 2024. Linet Barnes was indicted as the contact person at the IDT by Mr. Dicks. This is after the IDT missed every deadline they set themselves to settle the nearly R19 million plus interest owed to Lonerock over 20 months. The IDT missed every opportunity to pay Lonerock, despite repeatedly promising to do so since July 2024," De Villiers said, adding that the minister requested an urgent report on why IDT had not kept to their deadlines and commitments from 20 months ago. De Villiers said, adding that as a minister, he has to ensure that the government policy of paying businesses within 30 days is adhered to.